Paulette Goddard

Born: 3rd June, 1911
Country: USA
Died: 23rd April, 1990
Occupation: Actress

Paulette Goddard was one of that elite group of actresses who successfully moved from Silents to Talkies, so enjoying a lengthy career therein. Here was an actress who could convey the underlying emotions of the character she portrayed on screen. Even those very emotions the character was trying to hide or repress. That character may have thought she was succeeding, but Goddard subtly showed she was not, without relying on dialog to inform the audience.

Why We're Talking About Her:

Goddard was a fiercely independent and incredibly intelligent woman and connected with some of the biggest names in of her time (her second husband was Charlie Chaplin, her third Burgess Meredith, and her last the "All Quiet on the Western Front" novelist Erich Maria Remarque). She made over 40 movies, receiving only one Oscar® nomination, for her performance in So Proudly We Hail--a performance which even she herself underrated but which is actually truly marvellous.

Movie Picks :

So Proudly We Hail (1943) - Co-starring Claudette Colbert, Goddard plays a wise-cracking nurse who seems relentlessly cheerful. But Goddard conveys the fear she's really feeling.

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Kitty (1945) - A rags to riches story of a girl taken from the gutters and groomed to portray the perfect gentlewoman. A fun, romantic tale. Goddard is simply vivacious.

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Reap The Wild Wind (1942) - Another independent woman story, with Goddard running a 19th century ship salvaging company. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, she has Ray Milland and John Wayne thrown in the mix, as she has to decide between them. Watch for the bawdy song she sings, too!

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Modern Times (1936) - The Chaplin silent which catapulted Goddard into stardom.

- Cactus Les

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